‘I just felt right at home’: Why transfer guard Nate Pickens picked BYU and coach Kevin Young
“I had some options, but I just came to the conclusion that BYU was probably the best place for me in order to get to the next level, which is my ultimate goal — to play professional basketball. I feel like BYU puts me in the best position to do that.”
— BYU transfer guard Nate Pickens
His wish was granted less than 24 hours later, as BYU assistant coach Brandon Dunson contacted him to gauge his interest in joining the Big 12 program. Dunson, a former Stanford assistant, told him that members of BYU’s second-year coaching staff had him on their radar when he came out of Arizona’s Dream City Christian School years ago, while at other schools, and were reminded of his potential when he had a nice game against them last season.Wanting a “different fit” after averaging 9.8 points and 3.5 rebounds a game his junior season at UC Riverside, Pickens said he went into the portal hoping to get an opportunity to play at a “higher level” school.
“I had been at Riverside for three years,” he said. “I think I got what I kinda wanted from there. I just wanted to test the waters in the portal, see if I could get a better situation on a bigger stage.”Pickens said he was mildly familiar with BYU growing up in El Mirage and Surprise, Arizona, but didn’t know much about the school outside of basketball. He did have a teammate his sophomore season who was a member of the faith that sponsors BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So he knew the school was faith-based, but not much else.
He visited BYU with his father the first couple of days of May, and narrowed his choices to Fordham, UC Santa Barbara and BYU before committing to the Cougars on May 7.
Fordham made his “final three,” he said, because five-year UC Riverside coach Mike Magpayo became the Rams’ head coach in March back in New York City.
Pickens said he had a “good amount” of offers, including some from other Power Four programs, before picking BYU, which announced his signing on May 8.
